Downtown Penticton Association cancels community market

Saturday activity on Penticton’s downtown portion of Main Street will be minimal this summer with the announcement today of the cancellation of the community market.

The Penticton Downtown Business Association confirmed the decision in a press release issued today, April 24, cancelling the season due to the ongoing COVID-19 threat and accompanying restrictions for public gatherings.

“We simply had to make the difficult but prudent decision to cancel,” Downtown Penticton Association executive director Lynn Allin said in the release. “Our board of directors and I were hopeful conditions might change soon enough that we could safely open the market this year, but the risk to our community’s health is just too great at this time to proceed.”

This will mark the first time in 15 years the market will not take place in downtown Penticton. The market generally runs for 22 consecutive Saturdays, providing an economic boost to the downtown core for 200 participating vendors.

Allin did not rule out the possibility of holding a fall or winter market if it was practical or reasonable to do so.

The Penticton Farmers' Market, which operates on Main Street’s 100 block, recently announced plans to cancel its outdoor market for April and May.

The market has launched an online platform for customers to order from vendors with a drive-through pick up point set up for tomorrow, Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m in the Penticton Community Centre parking lot.

Orders must be placed in advance on the Penticton Farmer’s Market website.

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